


Maybe This, Maybe Now

by james



Category: The Dukes of Hazzard (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Hopeful Ending, M/M, ambiguous ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 12:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17100761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/pseuds/james
Summary: Bo has a lot on his mind -- mostly Luke.





	Maybe This, Maybe Now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arysteia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysteia/gifts).



“Chopping wood is good for what ails ya,” Uncle Jesse was fond of saying whenever one of them had troubles on their mind. Right around senior year Bo had figured out that Uncle Jesse was just trying to get them out of the house and doing the chores they ought to have been doing anyway. It was a habit now, and from the time he could remember, whenever Bo had something worrying him, he'd go out and find something mindless and exhausting to do until either his brain coughed up what he ought to do about his problem – or more often he simply forgot why it was bothering him in the first place and headed in to the kitchen to find out if there was food to be had.

He was out chopping wood now and it might have still been a month or two early for needing much wood to burn, but nobody was home to bother him about it, so he simply kept on.

Uncle Jesse and Daisy had gone over to look in on old Mrs. Addison, whose husband had died last winter. Luke was in town, gone in to run some errands. He'd asked Bo if he'd wanted to come along, but Daisy had told Bo just the other day that Luke had been going to town more often lately in hopes to spend time with Maybelle Crocker. Maybelle was a sweet girl, and smart – she'd gone to college over in North Carolina and come back with a degree to teach science at the high school. The whole town was talking about it, some saying it was about time they had a real science teacher. Others said it was a waste of a good woman to have so much nonsense in her head.

Bo didn't really think that was fair; he'd known lots of girls smarter than him and they deserved to learn whatever they wanted. If Maybelle wanted to teach other girls about rocks and the ocean and whatever else a Geology teacher did, then that was her business. Nevermind that Luke seemed right fond of her and he came back smiling and laughing every time he'd had a chance to see her.

And that was fine. It was good, in fact. Maybelle was inclined to stay in Hazzard, settle down here and not do like so many who went to college did and leave for Atlanta or someplace even farther. Heck, Bo and Luke had gone off, themselves, and seen parts of the country they'd only dreamed of as boys, when they'd been on the racing circuit.

Stuck in place now, thanks to Boss Hogg, and Bo didn't mind so much, not really. He liked the farm, liked being home to help Uncle Jesse, liked being around to keep an eye on Daisy and Enos, even if he still didn't know exactly what he thought of the two of them being sweet on one another. Nothing really wrong with Enos, of course, except he worked for Boss Hogg. Didn't so much matter if he was who Daisy wanted, anyhow.

None of that was helping Bo with the reason he was chopping wood. He glanced over at the pile of logs and could see he'd better work things out quick, or he was going to have to take the truck and go out and find a few more downed trees to chop. 

Trouble was, he liked Maybelle just fine, but it wasn't like he wished she'd want to spend time with _him_. She was nice and friendly, but not his type, and anyway Maybelle had a way of smiling at him like he'd misunderstood what she'd said and was too polite to say so. Bo knew she was Luke's type, all right, smart and funny and pretty enough. Seemed reasonable that Luke would want to spend time with her instead of hanging out with Bo, day after day.

He hit another log with a whack, split it halfway down. Wasn't jealous of Maybelle, at all, Bo realized. Maybe it was her he was jealous of – he didn't know which way to say it, but that didn't matter because he wasn't planning on telling anyone what he'd just realized. 

He wanted Luke home where he belonged, at Bo's side. Whether it was just driving, here doing chores, or just sitting on the porch listening to Uncle Jesse tell stories, or playing the guitar and singing as the sun went down. He wanted Luke with him, not Maybelle, and that was just plain trouble.

They were grown up, Bo told himself sternly. Luke was doing exactly what he ought, and Bo had no right to want to hang on to things that were things you could get away with as kids if you were careful not to get caught. Teenagers hiding under blankets, or back in the corner of the barn stuffing their hands in their mouths to muffle the noise. 

They'd fumbled around with girls as often as one another, back then, and when Luke had gone away to the Marines they'd not said a word about it, and when they'd gone away racing... a few nights here and there in cheap hotels, what Luke called easing the tension, releasing stress, but still they'd never really talked. Sometimes it was like it never happened, and Bo found himself wondering if he'd dreamt some of it, instead.

Bo didn't know what to call what he felt, what he wanted, except that he missed Luke. Hadn't seen him since breakfast and Bo knew that right now Luke was probably shining up to Maybelle, and maybe next year there would be a wedding, then a year or two after that the first of a few brown-headed kids as stubborn and brilliant as their folks.

He was out of logs, and Bo kicked at some of the split wood to see about stacking it over again, make it neater, maybe a few feet closer to the kitchen door so they wouldn't have to trek so far out when it got cold. Or he could head out for more – maybe if he was gone, it wouldn't feel so much like Luke was gone, too.

He hadn't decided when he heard the roar of the General in the distance, then the call of her horn as Luke let the house know he was coming in. Bo watched, frowning – looking in the passenger side to see if there was somebody with him. No reason there would be, but for a moment he was afraid he'd see her, here, and he'd have to force himself to smile to her and be welcoming.

But Luke was alone, and he pulled up right near to Bo's boots as he stopped, pulled himself out, grinning wide at him. Bo glared down at the bumper and nearly hidden from view. “You're lucky I ain't wearing a bigger pair of boots, you'd be parked right on 'em.”

Luke laughed. “Figured you wouldn't have sense to step back.” He looked up to the house. “Daisy and Uncle Jesse still gone?”

“Reckon so, haven't seen them come home yet.” Bo wasn't sure why he was being so ornery – of course he knew, but you'd think he'd have the sense not to let Luke see it. Luke gave him a look, though, curious and Bo had that sinking feeling in his stomach. Luke was gonna find out, was gonna ask and keep asking until Bo told him everything, no matter if he wanted to or not.

“All right?” Luke asked, and Bo nodded, mouth open to say of course, why wouldn't I be. But Luke was tilting his head at him like he'd already figured it out. “Saw Maybelle,” he said, and Bo felt his jaw tighten. He wanted to hang his head. Luke deserved better than this, better than his own cousin throwing a fit because he'd found someone he liked.

Bo didn't move as Luke took a step towards him, didn't move when Luke was standing right there, close enough to touch in ways Bo knew he shouldn't want. But he did, and he didn't know how to say so, even when he knew he shouldn't say it at all.

“Yeah, that's what I thought,” Luke said, then he was pressing forward and Bo couldn't move at all. Luke was kissing him, right on the mouth, something they almost never did, no matter what else their hands and mouths and bodies did. Bo felt his own mouth open, just a little, but it was enough for Luke to press in more, get a hand on the back of Bo's head and hold him there.

“Luke, we can't,” Bo said as soon as he could breathe. His hands were on Luke's hips, like he hadn't just _said_ they couldn't.

“I know,” was all Luke said, giving a short nod. “But that don't mean we won't.”

Bo blinked at him. Luke was smiling at him, not like he was laughing at him – Bo knew the difference, had seen Luke laugh at him in all kinds of ways, all of his life. This was just kind, and sort of loving, and it made Bo's stomach tie itself in knots.

“But--” Bo couldn't quite get his thoughts in order. “You said-- Maybelle? You ain't--”

“I've barely had lunch with her a couple of times and everyone in town is marrying us off,” Luke said, and he sounded resigned, maybe, and bitter. “I do like her, Bo, and I consider her a friend. Maybe we will get married. Maybe we won't. I can spend time with a woman without settling down and raising kids with her.”

Luke hadn't quite let go of him, Bo noticed, and if he didn't understand what Luke meant about Maybelle, he sure understood about this. “You know we can't,” he began, but he didn't want to say it. So many times he wanted this, just standing together, touching, and they couldn't. No privacy, no time, and for a long time he hadn't even been sure if Luke wanted it anymore.

But Luke kissed him again, soft and sweet, like he wasn't going to stop. Bo let him, didn't try to push him away because Luke had always been the one to say yes, okay, or now isn't a good time. Might as well keep trusting him, Bo told himself. Even if it turned out Bo was right, and they really couldn't do more than this – well, he didn't want to give up whatever he could have.

He let Luke pull him into the barn, giggling a little at the ridiculousness of it, with the house empty and perfectly good, if small, beds indoors. But the barn was right here, and Luke was grinning at him, and Bo let himself be pulled along happily, willingly, and when Luke kissed him again Bo told himself to remember this. 

If they didn't get this again, he wanted to hold this in his mind forever.


End file.
